"Fred, George, if I catch you in that potions cabinet again, I will confiscate your brooms!"

Treasa grimaced at the shrill tone. She eyed the potion bottle in George's hand. "I suggest you give that back to me before your mother makes it in here."

"Mum always shouts like that," Fred scoffed, tweaking the bottle out of his twin's hand. "Besides, if you're with us, you can tell her we're interested for..."

"Academic purposes. That'll make her feel better," George finished the sentence.

Treasa cocked an eyebrow. "Academic purposes. You're asking me about Nonplusing Concoctions for academic purposes, eh?"

Fred grinned. "They aren't covered much in Potions, you know."

She attempted to grab the bottle, only to have Fred toss it to his other hand. "There's a reason for that, young man," she lectured. "Nonplusing Concoction has the highest concentration of lovage of any Befuddlement potion."

George gave a low whistle. "Wouldn't that be dangerous in someone's pumpkin juice."

Treasa nodded, making other swipe at the bottle. "Stewed lovage is the most effective way to bring about hot-headedness in the drinker – and if you think any sane professor is going to make it readily available to teenagers, you're not as clever as I thought you were."

Fred grinned. "Thank you, Treasa." He turned to George, "What about adding a few drops of lovage into that new love potion? Fourth years would love it."

She scowled at him, looking pointedly at the bottle in his hand. "My estimation is dropping by the moment." A loud creaking from the hall interrupted her. "And if I'm not mistaken, your mother is headed down the hall right now."

"C'mon, Treasa, you'll cover for us, won't you?"

They were both giving her the most irresistible mock-pleading expressions. Treasa set her jaw and opened her mouth to demand the bottle again when Molly burst in the door.

"Well, then, I don't see any floors that need mopping in this room, do you, boys?" she asked. "I've brought another bottle of Mrs. Scower's Magical Mess Remover in case you have run out."

She looked pointedly at the near-full misting bottle in George's hand. "Do you need more, dear?"

The twins both turned out beatific smiles that would have charmed You-Know-Who himself as Fred's hand surreptitiously withdrew from his trouser pocket. Treasa turned back to the tall cabinet to hide her smirk, busily shifting bottles to see if any of them were poisons.

"Actually, Mum, Fred's run out. We were just talking to Treasa about some of these potions – thought maybe we could get on old Snape's good side when term starts again."

Treasa's head turned at the mention of the name.

"Professor Snape, boys," Molly said automatically, though the bite was gone from her reproof. "The man is your teacher and should respected –"

- just as much as Professor McGonagall or any of the other professors at Hogwarts. Both Fred and George mouthed the rest of the sentence in the same memorized cadence Molly delivered it. Treasa had the distinct impression all three of them were tired of hearing it.

"Yes, mum," the twins intoned.

"Now get on with you," Molly ordered, shoving them toward the door. "There's plenty of work to be done. Remind Ginny that she's got to have that bedroom clean by this evening. Hermione won't want to share with her if the floors aren't visible yet."

The boys grinned at each other. Molly took a step toward them, finger raised.

"Boys, I meant –"

With a dual crack, the twins Disapparated.

" – to walk."

Treasa couldn't restrain the quiet laugh as Molly's hand fell uselessly to her side. "Oh, Molly, they're young. They'll grow tired of it soon enough."

"Not likely," Molly said. "Those two still haven't gotten over levitating things."

This time, they shared the laugh. "They aren't disturbing you too much, are they, Treasa? I can speak to them about it."

"Not at all. They're delightful – and their questions are giving me plenty of chance to dust off my old potions knowledge. After twelve years away from the wizarding world, it's good practice."

Treasa took another bottle out of the cabinet and brushed the dust off the label, squinting at the old calligraphy. Re'em blood. She grimaced, thankful the twins weren't here to ask about that particular flask.

"Why did you stay away so long?" Molly asked, absently scrubbing at the side table with the sleeve of her robe. "You've only ever told me that you left because of the Death Eaters, but surely after… You-Know-Who had gone…"

Molly was doing an excellent job of not prying. Treasa had to give her credit for that. She had rehearsed a story for just such a question, but found herself faltering when she attempted to bring it forward.

"My parents were very strong supporters of You-Know-Who, and when I moved home after school, they did their best to introduce me into the Death Eater circles. I did… well, shall we say a poor job of hiding my distaste." Treasa added the Re'em blood to the collection of potion ingredients that might still be useful and stretched to reach the top shelf.

"And?" Molly prodded helpfully.

Treasa smiled tightly. "I made enemies. Powerful ones. Bellatrix LeStrange, for example, and several other Death Eaters who were not captured after You-Know-Who's defeat. I was also dear friends with the Longbottoms, and did my best to warn them before Bellatrix and her party descended on them –"

"But how could you have known that the Longbottoms were to be singled out for an attack?"

Treasa could tell that the question had been almost involuntary, given Molly's look of dismay after it was spoken. She mentally flogged herself for opening up that line of questioning. How indeed did she know the inner workings of the Death Eaters based on her current story?

"Well, I –"

The door banged open, interrupting her attempt to compensate. Sirius Black limped into the room, his scowl enough to drive the incomplete story from both women's minds. The fluent stream of curses streaming from his mouth in a half-undertone only added to the disruption. Molly clicked her tongue, which seemed to get his attention.

"Oh, sorry," he muttered, clenching his jaw in an apparent attempt to stem the flow. "Blasted umbrella stand!"

"I beg your pardon?" Treasa asked, certain that something in this frightening house had bewitched the man.

"I was attempting to take down my mother's portrait in the front hall – you know, the one that screams for an hour every time the door opens …"

Sirius paused for a moment to ease himself into a chair, obviously favoring his right foot. He looked back up and blinked at Treasa. "What are you doing here?"

She chuckled at the blunt, somewhat disoriented question. Another tsk from Molly seemed to clear his head a bit.

"Forgive me, Miss Shannon, I was simply surprised to see you so early to the meeting. It's only mid-afternoon, after all."

Treasa nodded. "Understandable. I came when my shift ended because I have been wanting to sort through these potions to see which ones might still be useful to the Order. As mediwitch, it's the only part of my job I can really fulfill at the moment."

"Ah, I have the remedy for that," Sirius said, grimacing as he lifted his right foot. "I believe my dear mother cursed that ugly umbrella stand –"

"- the one made from a troll's leg?" Molly interjected.

"The very same. When I attempted to disassemble the frame to extract the portrait, the umbrella stand toppled over on my foot – hard. I think it may have broken a bone or two."

Treasa hurried over and crouched by the foot, easing his shoe off. "Don't move too much. Don't want to puncture any skin."

Molly gave a slight sniff, eyeing Sirius with sudden suspicion. "Didn't you ever learn the basic healing spells, Sirius? I thought Filius Flitwick covered them fairly thoroughly."

Sirius laughed through a grimace as Treasa probed the side of his foot. "Molly, as much I as hate to burst any illusions you may have of me as a studious person, you should know that I rarely paid attention in Charms after I got the basic 'swish and flick' method down."

Treasa drew her wand. "Looks like a couple broken toes and a few of these bones on the side of your foot." She touched the area and Sirius yelped. "Just hold still and it will be fixed in a moment."

With a quick Episkey and the small snap of bones reknitting, the job was done. Sirius winced once, then opened one eye tentatively.

"Is that it?"

Treasa retreated a step and crossed her arms.

"I prescribe a cup of pumpkin juice and help the next time you attempt to take down that portrait."

"Yes, ma'am," Sirius said, saluting smartly before reaching for his shoe. He looked back up and grinned at her. "I think Dumbledore made an excellent choice in recruiting you."

"I'll be sure to tell him you approve of his decision."

Treasa recognized the sparkle in his eyes too well not to realize she was being flirted with. She smiled in response, taking stock. The man was good-looking, charming to a fault, and fearlessly dedicated to the Order. Her thumb rubbed her ring finger again. Was she still bound by that old vow?

"Well, then, Sirius," Molly said, breaking the silence that had lingered a moment too long. "I suggest you go find Remus and start collecting chairs for tonight's meeting. It will be a large one."

As he turned to go, Treasa was certain she saw him wink. Molly was watching her with an expression of calculating delight. She almost laughed out loud as she imagined either of their reactions if they knew the reason for her hesitation.

"What that man needs is someone to keep him on a good path," Molly observed delicately. "Do tell me, Treasa dear, was there anyone special you met while you were out among the Muggles?"

Ah, so subtle, Molly Weasley. Treasa tucked her wand into her sleeve and returned to the cabinet. "In a manner of speaking."

"Oh?" Molly bustled over instantly. "There's a story I'd love to hear."

The memory was still strong, though it had been three years now. This, at least, was a story free from Severus. Treasa grasped the next potion bottle in her hand, thumb idly rubbing the dust from the label as she contemplated where to begin.

"After I ran from the Death Eaters, I traveled a great deal. I spent a few years in France, a summer in Italy, visited Spain. I ended up in America, went to their healer training – nursing school. It was a challenge, I assure you, learning to heal without magic. I had gotten used to the day-to-day living, but nursing was another story entirely."

Molly was nodding sympathetically, but Treasa knew this was not what she wanted to hear about. "I settled in a small town in Rhode Island, a tiny hospital with a small, close staff. One of my fellow nurses had a brother who lived in town that she was certain was my soul mate. Chris, his name was. She convinced him to come meet me, and, well, the next thing you know we were going out two, three times a week. He was simply a consummate gentleman, not like –" Treasa caught herself. "Not like some of the other men I've had relationships with. He had this way of making every moment seem special, you know?"

Molly smiled dreamily. "Oh yes, I know." The far-away expression in her eyes was extinguished. "But what happened?"

Treasa glanced down at the potion bottle in her hand. Deflating Draught. She put it on the shelf of useful potions. This is where the story got tricky. "I decided enough time had passed – I was ready to go back to the wizarding world, at least to stay in touch. But to do that, I had to tell Chris. At first, he didn't believe me. Told me he thought I was making it up to seem more mysterious. Then one day he came to me and said he would believe anything I told him about being magical and what have you, if I would consent to be his wife."

Molly's sigh was as gusty as a schoolgirl's. Treasa winced. "I was so shocked. I thought he would tell me he would wait until I got back. I wasn't prepared to commit to a marriage." At least not until I knew if Severus was dead or alive." I asked him to give me time to think about it, but he said if I left without answering him, he would take it as his answer. So I left."

"Do you regret it, dear?" Molly asked, eyes wide with sympathy.

"Perhaps. I knew I needed to come back. I knew I couldn't spend the rest of my life wondering about my other world. Chris said he would understand, but he wasn't ready to accept all of this," Treasa waved her hand at the potions cabinet. "It was the right decision to make." Particularly since I wasn't free to marry him thanks to a certain wizard.

Molly swiped at the dusty side table again. "Well, perhaps you'll find someone in the Order who strikes your fancy," she said with as much subtlety as she could muster.

Treasa smiled faintly and reached for the next bottle. "Perhaps."

The meeting was packed. The kitchen was full of chairs, crammed around the table and in clusters outside of that circle. The members of the Order had been highly successful in their recent recruiting. After announcements and introductions, Arthur Weasley reported that all the children were safely moved into the house for the duration of the summer.

"Bill just got settled back at the Burrow," Molly whispered in Treasa's ear as Arthur reported the lack of incident on his trip to escort Hermione Granger to headquarters. "It's such a relief to know he'll be working a desk job instead of in those horrid tombs."

"Thank you, Arthur," Dumbledore said graciously as the end of the report. "Remind me I must speak to the children tonight before I leave. Now, I believe Severus has some new information for us."

The mood of the meeting instantly shifted. Treasa gnawed her lip and tried not to scowl as her husband stood. After going to all the trouble of forgetting him, she was still bound by the knowledge of their union, however much of a farce it had been. She was thankful his reputation was unchanged, it gave her a reason to appear so disgruntled when he appeared.

"The Dark Lord desires more information on Harry Potter so that he might go about destroying him with the greatest efficacy. He believes the key to this knowledge lies in a prophecy in the Department of Mysteries – one made about Potter and the Dark Lord before Potter was born. He will do whatever it takes to get that prophecy."

"How does he know about it?" Sirius called out from one of the far clusters of chairs.

Severus' voice got softer rather than louder to answer the question. "A partial version of the prophecy was reported to him soon after the prophecy was made. He has used naught but his own intellect to deduce that there is more to it, and that he must have that information."

Treasa's head came up at the mocking tone. Sirius' question had been reasonable and Severus had acted as if he was merely disrupting the meeting. Well, then, she would have something to say to him afterwards about this… this…

"The Dark Lord has not yet assigned specific wizards to attempt to retrieve the prophecy, but I must recommend keeping a close watch on the Unspeakables, particularly, and any Ministry official connected with that office."

"Perhaps I could be of assistance," Sirius interjected loudly. "I could hang around the ministry as a stray."

"Forgive me, Black, but your grand disguise as a dog is of no use to you at present. The Dark Lord is aware of that particular ability and his Death Eaters will not hesitate to aim to kill if they realize who it is attempting to beg for scraps from them."

Sirius' chair scraped a little on the floor as he settled back into it. Severus' eyes glittered in a triumph that made Treasa want to spit.

"I'm sure it must be so frustrating for you to be of no real use to the order," he said silkily, letting his gaze deliberately slide away. "I wouldn't know that feeling."

Treasa gritted her teeth and cast a sidelong glance at Sirius, who looked positively murderous. If Severus thought he could get away with such blatant baiting, he had forgotten their earlier encounter. Her lips curved into a smile. She would simply have to remind him.

As soon as the meeting adjourned, she made her way to his side.

"Professor Snape, I have a few questions for you as Potions master," she said coolly, beckoning into the hallway.

Severus looked slightly bored. "Perhaps you could send me an owl. I have pressing business at the moment…"

"This won't take a moment. I have a question about some of our potion stores."

He reluctantly followed her to the corner by the staircase, away from the crowd of people in the hallway.

"Yes, Miss Shannon?"

She turned on him, eyes glinting in the gloom. "Severus Snape, you may be a filthy spy and a murderous traitor, but even you should remember common courtesy."

"I beg your pardon?" Snape asked imperturbably.

Her teeth scraped against each other. "I'll not have you taunting Sirius Black in that way. It is pathetic and beneath you, and utterly disruptive to the Order. I warned you about interfering with its success, Severus."

He glanced behind them as if checking to see if anyone had heard her using his first name alone. "And what, pray tell, will be your threat? Telling them of our relationship?" Her chin came up in defiance, but he ignored it. "Do you think me swayed by any bit of gossip that might begin about me?" He snorted quietly. "Don't be absurd. And while this new devotion to Black is touching, as I recall, you were the one anxious to keep our relationship secret."

Treasa scowled at him but didn't attempt to stop him walking away. She was still standing in the corner fuming when Fred and George walked up. George was winding up a flesh-colored string.

"Treasa, I think we need to have a little chat."